Kidnap My Heart
by quinch
Summary: He's popular, she's not. She's responsible, he's not. He's arrogant and proud. She puts herself last. He's irresistible but not to her. She's just a plain student, but not to him.Edited.
1. Prologo

**Author's Notes**: After a year here in FFN, I learned a lot of things, and I'm still learning. I can't say I'm good at writing, but I improved, if you compare my works now to my works before. So, after rereading my stories, I've decided to edit them and lessen the errors.

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Gakuen Alice. This should go for the whole story.

**Summary: **He's popular, she's not. She's responsible, he's not. He's arrogant and proud. She puts herself last. He's irresistible but not to her. She's just a plain student, but not to him. She loves her best friend and her best friend loves her back but he wants to meddle in.

* * *

**K I D N A P M Y H E A R T**

_By Acrianz_

**:-:**

**Prologue**

* * *

She glanced around. The cold breeze was supposed to make her feel better, refreshed, but it didn't. Nothing could.

How did they come to this?

Everything was so fine before so why the heck did it become like this? She was a normal, easy-going and cheerful student. He was a happy, great soccer player. And the other one was, well, popular. They were typical teenagers. Did Fate really have to mess everything up? That's just so unfair.

The sun was setting. If she had time, she probably would stop and watch the sunset, amazed at how the sun seems to change color. But time was not hers; it was running away from her. She was chasing it, _them. _And she should be home by now, her Grandpa would be worried.

She guessed she would just have to deal with that later. She still had important things to do. She ran around the corner, hoping to see one of them. No such luck. Where was she now? She had no clue. She was just running, trying her luck. She was hoping with all heart that they would listen to her. They were both stubborn. They did not want to hear her explanation. If only they would give her a chance, things might get better.

She didn't mean to hurt them and they knew that. Couldn't they understand that she, too, was hurting? Damn it, they were being unfair! And great, just when she needed Hotaru the most, she said, "Go fix your problem. Nogi's waiting for me." She was glad for Ruka, he was finally reaching the Ice Queen. Hotaru was not there, who would help her now? Probably Tsubasa, 'cause he was her best friend or probably Natsume because despite his attitude, he _listens._ No. Of course they could not help her. After all, they were the ones that she's looking. They were mad at her.

Why was she doing this again? Didn't she have the right to be mad, too? She did, but she was too selfless to think about herself. She just wanted to sort things out. She did not know where they went. Of course they went to different directions. After all, Natsume and Tsubasa were also angry at each other. And there she was, trying to fix the problem _all by herself_ and they wouldn't let her!

"Ugh, where are you guys?" Mikan whispered to the wind. An hour ago, they were at Gakuen Alice enjoying the time of their lives and now she's alone, trying to find two people who did not want to be found. They were like old women having their menopausal period!

As she turned around another corner, she felt another presence behind her. Oh shit, who was it? It was getting dark now, and she was on an unknown place. She didn't know anyone here. She was frozen on her spot, waiting for something- _anything. _But the person –whoever it was- remained standing behind her. Mikan was too scared to turn around. If only she knew who was it…

And then, her eyes widened as she felt a pair of arms wrapping around her.

* * *

_Reviewing is not mandatory but it makes the author happy. :)_

* * *

**© Copyright 2010 Acrianz (FanFiction ID: 1963681). Posted: 09/22/10. All rights reserved. Distribution of any kind is prohibited without the written consent of Acrianz.**

Plagiarism _of any form_ **is stealing. **It is punishable by law. I know my works aren't that good, but they are _**my**_** intellectual property.** If you plagiarize my stories however poorly-written, please be informed that I will sue. My brother is a lawyer and since we're oh-so-close, filing a case isn't that hard. Because once you plagiarized, you are guilty of a misdemeanor of the second degree, punishable as provided in s. 775.082 or s. 775.083. Plagiarism is no small matter.

-Acrianz.


	2. Capitulo Uno

**Author's notes: **I'm still writing. Hanging by a thread, but still here. Thank you for the unending support. You guys rock.

* * *

**K I D N A P M Y H E A R T**

By Acrianz

**:-:**

**Chapter One**

* * *

:-:-:

Blue, red, green and yellow lights were illuminating on his surroundings. With a tinge of alcohol and scents of strong perfumes in the air, they only made it more exciting. The music was lively and loud. It was so loud you could barely hear other people. But they did not care. All that mattered were the music, the beverages, the dance and the night.

_Marco Chile_ was full of teenagers. There were no questions about it. It was the most popular bar in town that allowed minors. The fact that its owner was also a teen added to its popularity. Plus, it's the last week of the Summer Break. A couple more days to go and they would all go to their schools.

They had to enjoy their last remaining school- free hours.

A certain teen named Natsume Hyuuga sat with his friends on the second floor. They had been there for almost an hour and they already downed a case of beers. He heard his friend whistle and looked at the direction that they were looking. Natsume wasn't surprised when he spotted a blonde on the dance floor. She danced lively, not minding the other people around her. She was wearing a spaghetti dress with slits on the sides. Her face was decorated with heavy make-up.

Natsume took a gulp on his drink and saw that a guy approached the blonde. With exactly three blinks of an eye, they were already kissing!

"Oh, what a waste," one of his friends, Koko, said with a sigh. The others laughed. Ruka, Natsume's best friend, snorted. "Mochu, save your tears." Natsume smirked.

Mochu, a bald guy with two piercings on his right ear, just shrugged. "Doesn't matter. She's not the only girl in the world. Besides, with the long line of girls waiting for Natsume to notice them, I think I can steal some. Natsume won't mind," he paused and looked at his friend, "Would you?"

Natsume rolled his eyes. "You can have them all. See if I care."

Mochu and Kitsuneme exchanged high-five's. "Let's just hope we'll have hot classmates this year."

"Why are you listening to these two? I thought you had a thing with Imai," Natsume asked Ruka when he laughed at Kitsuneme's statement.

All ears were on them. They were also curious about the topic. They admitted that Hotaru Imai was a beauty. With that shoulder length black hair and those amethyst orbs, yep, she was definitely someone.

What made her known though, was her reputation for black mailing. The girl just couldn't let her wallet deflate. A young Einstein, she also was. She bagged a couple of Innovation Champion Trophies. No one would want to piss her off. Her baka gun – the gun that was made for idiots and only for idiots – never failed to scare them.

"Well, it seems that she doesn't care but I'm not giving it up," said Ruka.

"Ugh. Gag," Mochu bickered.

Later that evening, the guys decided to play Beer Pong. Kitsuneme won against Koko while Natsume lost to Mochu. If there was anything Natsume was fine with losing, this was it. Besides, all knew Mochu was the heaviest drinker. Ruka passed on the game but still emptied a couple of bottles.

At midnight, almost all of them were drunk. They cussed and muttered incoherent things. Koko suggested they should go but the rest refused. "Why? The night's still young," Mochu said and left to hit on a girl. Ruka wanted to leave, too, but his best friend was still there so he stayed.

The other guys kept drinking and laughing. They were high. When Ruka noticed he was staring to have double visions, he called his driver. He guessed he'd give Natsume a lift since he was too drunk to drive or to even call for a driver. Going here, they decided to carpool in Koko's car so he didn't bring his own. He decided he'd give Natsume a lift since they would pass his house on the way. He even generously offered the others a lift too but they still wanted to stay. Koko, on the other hand fell asleep already. Oh, the others could take care of him.

It was pretty difficult assisting Natsume to walk. He did not cooperate! Ruka was half-carrying, half-dragging him already. And what's worse, he was drunk too.

They did not notice that they fell asleep. The driver woke them when they arrive at the Hyuuga residence. Ruka started to get out of the car when Natsume stopped him.

"I can ma-manage," he said between his hiccups.

Being tired, Ruka agreed. When the car left, Natsume found himself staggering towards the door.

Good thing his sister was already asleep. Aoi could really be scary sometimes. She acted like his mother and scolded him. He did not want to think of what would happen tomorrow. He badly wanted to sleep to mind God-knows-what Aoi might do to him.

Kenji, the family's trusted driver, must have had brought him to his room because when he woke up, he was in the comforts of his bed. He couldn't remember much of yesterday's night and his head-oh his head- hurt terribly. He was feeling the aftershock of drinking, the hangover.

He was too lazy to stand, and besides he still wanted to sleep. But he couldn't do so because the light teased him and peeked even through the closed shutters. It must have been noon.

He ignored it and started to drift away again when the door of his room swung open.

_Bang!_

It made him fully alert.

"Why, my dear brother, I presume we have to talk."

He wanted to pretend he was still asleep but it would be pointless. He was caught off-guard because the 'bang' bolted him upright. All he could do was to stare at his little sister who was three years younger than him AND was obviously fuming with anger.

Yep, she was definitely angry. Her ever crimson orbs were narrowed and her hands were placed on her hips. Natsume noticed the aura that she was emitting and gulped at the thought that he could be roasted anytime now. He tried his best to sound civil.

"Aoi, let me sleep first. Save the sweet talk later." He looked away from her and inclined his back to lay again.

"DON'T YOU DARE MOVE AN INCH!"

He sat still. His back was staring to ache but he didn't move. He was actually afraid of his little sister!

Well, who wouldn't? She could hold his credit cards anytime. Being the responsible one, their parents put her in charge of it. He did not care at first but when Aoi cut all his connection as a punishment for something he had done, he began obeying her commands.

She was a beast sister.

"I heard from Kenji that you arrived home at two o'clock in the freaking morning. Two! Natsume, that's past your curfew!"

Natsume rolled his eyes. "Why the hell am I given curfew anyway? I'm gonna be a fucking junior next week." Aoi narrowed her eyes at his choice of words. She was not a fan of cursing.

"Exactly my point. You're gonna be a junior yet you can't follow simple instructions. Get a life, Natsume, " she retorted.

Her brother yawned. "I think it's out there somewhere. Get it for me. Good luck and goodbye."

"For pete's sake, just get a damned wife already!"

His eyes widened. "What?" A wife for him to behave? Uh-uh. Not gonna happen. He's only sixteen for crying out loud.

Aoi threw her hands up in the air. "Find a girl that you love already! Hurry up!"

Tired to argue even further, he said, "Yeah sure, I'll think about it." Ha-ha. That was very funny. "Sure, sure. I'll think about it," he played along.

"Good. The fridge is stuffed. Just grab anything and you know where the painkillers are/ I'll get Kenji to accompany me to the mall. Well, I'm off," she said, her voice softening. She really couldn't leave angry.

"Yeah bye. You're the beast, Aoi."

She shot him a glare. "What?"

"I said, you're the best, Aoi."

:-:-:

No doubt about it, she was happy. So happy that it was almost scary.

She got to share a lot of classes with her best friends this year. That spelled fun. Combing her auburn hair, she readied herself for school. Today was the first day of school. She was officially a junior. She couldn't wait to see her friends.

"Hurry up, you idiot." And there went her ever gorgeous best friend, Hotaru Imai. The brunette took her gaze off the mirror and faced her friend. "Hotaru, do you think many students will join my club this year?"

Hotaru snickered. "I highly doubt it, Mikan Sakura."

Few minutes later, she went downstairs. The smell of pancakes and hot cocoa filled the air as she took the seat next to Hotaru. The girl was practically at the house everyday, so it was like she lived there, too. When Mikan's mom served the pancakes, the two got one, took their cocoa, and left.

They arrived five minutes before the bell. But unfortunately, Hotaru parked the car near the west wing, where her first period was at. Mikan on the other hand, had English which was on the opposite building. She ran but kept being reminded by the Hall Monitors that running along the hallway was not allowed. It was then that the building seems so huge. She let out a yelp when the bell rang. She hurried to her class. Two minutes later, she finally arrived.

The class had already started. "I'm so sorry, Mr. Narumi," she said, out of breath. The teacher simply smiled at her. "It's alright, Miss Sakura. Please take your seat." The brunette nodded and took the empty seat at the back row. She didn't miss the gasps, but pretended to do so. What, was being late a crime now?

She tried to listen to the teacher. Really. But it was just so damn boring. She got her pen and notebook and started to doodle. Not that she disrespected Mr. Narumi, it was just boring.

When class had ended, she collected her things and walked towards the door. It was hard to ignore the glares that were being shot at her. She spun around only to find that the girls were silently murdering her with their eyes. What was their problem?

She ordered her legs to walk. Fortunately she was successful. She was out of the classroom, but did not miss the remark of one of the girls.

"Who does she think she is? Not only was she late, she also sat beside Natsume! Ugh. She's such a loser."

Okay, she had a feeling they were talking about her. But what was the big deal. So she sat beside this Natsume. Natsume whatshisname.

Minutes later, realization hit her like a tsunami.

Oh my God.

She sat beside _The_ Natsume Hyuuga.

Oh, shit. She was doomed.

* * *

_Reviewing is not mandatory but it makes the author happy. :)_

* * *

**© Copyright 2010 Acrianz (FanFiction ID: 1963681). Posted: 10/26/10. All rights reserved. Distribution of any kind is prohibited without the written consent of Acrianz.**

Plagiarism _of any form_ **is stealing. **It is punishable by law. I know my works aren't that good, but they are _**my**_** intellectual property.** If you plagiarize my stories however poorly-written, please be informed that I will sue. My brother is a lawyer and since we're oh-so-close, filing a case isn't that hard. Because once you plagiarized, you are guilty of a misdemeanor of the second degree, punishable as provided in s. 775.082 or s. 775.083. Plagiarism is no small matter.

-Acrianz.


	3. Capitulo Dos

**A/N: **What is this bullshit, people? I just found out that my friend EzMouse's story got plagiarized! Are you satisfied when you receive praises for a story that is -and never will be- yours? What has this fandom gone to?

* * *

**K I D N A P M Y H E A R T**

By Acrianz

**:-:**

**Chapter Two**

* * *

Well, he got to admit that his first week as a Junior was quite interesting. It all started on the first day of school, first class.

It had been ten minutes past eight when someone walked in their class. Under normal circumstances, she would've been put into detention but because it was the first day, he guessed Narumi didn't mind that much. He didn't like Narumi. He was an overdramatic and enthusiastic gay teacher who tried to get him to participate into the discussion every now and then. Well, he didn't like any teacher for that matter.

But that's not it. This latecomer chose to sit beside him. Speak of total invasion of privacy. He only ever let his best friend sit next to him and since he wasn't on that class, it was an unspoken rule that he should be left alone. But no. She didn't seem to get the memo.

Seconds ticked by and Natsume was waiting for her to introduce herself. Yes, he knew he was handsome, there's no use denying that fact. Minutes passed and nothing.

Curiosity took the best of him and he let himself take a peek at his seatmate. The first thing he noticed was her fair complexion which was actually refreshing because the girls at his school seemed to think that orange skin was the trend. Her auburn hair was in pigtails. And that was utterly ridiculous. Who the heck ties her hair in pigtails when she's a High-Schooler? Was she a five-year-old genius that got accelerated?

Impossible.

She wore no eyeglasses, which in Natsume's perspective, were a must for geniuses. And she definitely didn't look like a five-year-old. She wasn't even listening to Narumi for crying out loud! She was doodling the back of her notebook using different colored pens. Oh, God. He had this girl for a partner? He knew Narumi's ways for he had him last year. And automatically, your seatmate – your partner. Ruka was his partner last year. Why did he have to have Trigonometry first? Stupid.

He wasn't aiming for the highest scores but he actually liked getting good ones. When it'd come down to it, maybe he would have to do some projects on his own. This latecomer didn't look bad, but she could be stupid for all he knew.

:-:-:

She found out that with practice, one can ignore all the murderous looks that people throw at her. And when they were ignored, they lessened and eventually they would be gone.

"Where are you going?" She almost jumped in surprise. She turned and saw Hotaru in all her glory driving slowly to match her steps.

"Oh, hi. I thought you had piano lessons today. And I'm going to the bookstore. I need a lot of special paper," she answered. Hotaru signaled her to come inside her car and she obliged willingly.

"Mentor's sick. Are you going to print some fliers?"

Mikan nodded. Next week would be the Organizations Fair where the Club and Organization presidents encourage the students to join their groups. Of course, the prettier the gimmick, banners and fliers, the more students would be joining.

Hotaru scoffed. "I told you your club's hopeless."

Mikan shook her head slowly. She didn't believe that.

"Anyway, your boyfriend looked for you earlier," Hotaru informed her. The brunette's eyes widened. "Tsubasa? And no, I told he's not my boyfriend. He's my best boy friend. A best friend who is a boy."

Her friend raised her eyebrows. "Same difference. And besides, you and I both know that you wish he was your _boyfriend_."

Mikan didn't respond to that. She could have denied it, but Hotaru _knew._ "Uh, what did he want?" she tried to divert the topic.

The raven-haired girl shrugged. "I don't know. He didn't say."

Minutes later, Hotaru dropped Mikan off the bookstore. She immediately went to the stationary section and searched for a good kind of paper.

There were a lot to choose from. Should she buy the ordinary colored ones, or the scented ones? The plain ones, or those having rich textures?

"Those ordinary colored ones if I were you," she heard someone say. She turned around and saw her friend, Nonoko.

Mikan smiled. "Hey, Nonoko! What are you doing here?"

"Same reason. Looking for paper to print the fliers on."

"Oh, yeah. You're the president of the Science Club Chemistry branch, right?" Mikan asked. The blue-haired girl nodded.

"Yeah. So, as I've said you should pick the ordinary colored ones. Those scented ones aren't really printing materials, those plain ones are just. . so plain and the others are well, for crafts and arts."

Mikan nodded and followed her advice. She got ten packs and headed to the cashier.

:-:-:

He knew he shouldn't have gone to school today. After all, it's the Org's Fair and he wasn't interested in joining any clubs but his beast of a sister didn't let him skip. He swore one day he'd gonna catch Aoi doing something stupid so she couldn't boss him around anymore. It was against all rules in the _How to handle younger sisters Guide for Dummies_!

He wanted to cut classes but the stupid guards wouldn't let him. He tried to go to his tree but there were also clubs out there.

He walked along the hallway, looking for a vacant room. He tried five rooms already, but they were all occupied. He turned left, nearing a dead end. There weren't many rooms in this area. He wondered for a moment if it's still used. Maybe he could go here if he got bored with classes.

He reached the last classroom. He turned the knob and surprisingly it was open. He went in –

"Wait! Don't close the - "

- and closed the door. "..door. Oh, shizzletops!" He looked around and spotted a girl sitting on top of the table, her face crestfallen. Wait a minute, this was _the_ brunette. The girl who sat beside him. What was she doing here?

"We're stuck," she said. Natsume just stared at her. "I've been locked up in here for almost an hour now. The door wouldn't budge. I think there's something wrong with the lock."

Natsume tried to open the door but as the girl said, it wouldn't budge. Must be one of those problems where you could open it from the outside but not from the inside. Oh damn. He was stuck here? With her? Bad luck was on his side today.

He got his phone from his pocket and began dialing Ruka's number when she spoke again. "No use. I've already tried that. There's no signal here."

No signal? What was this place, Antarctica?

He grunted. "What now?"

The girl just shrugged.

Exhausted from walking for some time, he dropped to the floor and crossed his legs. If only he was bringing his manga with him. He tried to close his eyes and ignore her but she talked again.

"I told the headmaster the lock should be replaced but he just ignored me. That's probably because he thought no one comes here. But it's the journalism club! Of course a person or two would come here. _I _come here. You did, too. "

What was she, a talking doll? They weren't even friends so why was she talking to him. Obviously he's not interested.

"-And maybe there aren't many members, well okay, there are no members but -"

"Will you shut up? I don't know why you're talking to me. We don't know each other," Natsume cut her off. She gaped at him and said, "Well, I know you. Natsume Hyuuga, right? I'm Mikan Sakura. So see, we know each other now." She said it as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. Natsume glared at her but she just ignored it.

"So anyway, I printed these fliers and prepared everything else and now I can't even go to my own stall. I mean, how weird is that? It's like fate's not allowing this club to have members or something. Don't you think so?"

He clenched his fist. This girl was annoying. "Shut up. I went here to find a quiet place and you, you are the exact opposite."

She stared at him in disbelief. Good, that would shut her up. "Oh why didn't you say so? Okay, I'll shut up now."

She felt stupid. She thought that he might get bored so she talked to him but it seemed that he didn't want to talk. Maybe he had a headache or something. Oh, well. What to do now? Sooner or later someone would realize that she's missing and would look for her so she's not worried. She just needed something to do to kill time.

She got her pen and doodled on the back of her notebook.

Natsume was bored beyond belief. He looked around the room. There was a computer, a pile of papers, water dispenser, writing materials and a few boxes. The brunette, Mikan, was slouched on the corner, doodling. At least she had something to do.

He watched her for a while. She switched her pens every so often and smiled at the notebook. He noticed that she had dimples. He also noticed her eyes. They were hazel, matching her hair. She wasn't gorgeous, but she was easy on the eyes. Too bad she was annoying.

But hell, he was even more so.

:-:-:

An hour and a few minutes later, Nonoko came. She said that since her stall was near Mikan's, she noticed that she was missing. She couldn't call her, so she went to her club. This time, she didn't close the door immediately so they were able to get out. Nonoko held the door as the brunette gathered her things.

Natsume went on his way without bothering to glance at Mikan once again. But he knew this wasn't the last time they'd have an encounter. It was weird, since there was always a sense of finality with others but he didn't feel it this time. Oh, no. His instincts told him he would have to endure a long time of her presence. And his instincts were rarely wrong.

* * *

_Reviewing is not mandatory but it makes the author happy. :)_

* * *

**© Copyright 2010 Acrianz (FanFiction ID: 1963681). Posted: 03/22/11. All rights reserved. Distribution of any kind is prohibited without the written consent of Acrianz.**

Plagiarism _of any form_ **is stealing**. It is punishable by law. I know my works aren't that good, but they are **_my_ intellectual property**. If you plagiarize my stories however poorly-written, please be informed that I will sue. My brother is a lawyer and since we're oh-so-close, filing a case isn't that hard. Because once you plagiarized, you are guilty of a misdemeanor of the second degree, punishable as provided in s. 775.082 or s. 775.083. Plagiarism is no small matter.**  
**

(Yes, I think this note on every chapter is important because I really want you to realize that I am fully against Plagiarism. Just consider this as a footnote.)

-Acrianz


	4. Capitulo Tres

**K I D N A P M Y H E A R T**

By Acrianz

**:-:**

**Chapter Three**

* * *

"So you became famous in a day. Be glad!" Nonoko teased Mikan. They were on their way to their Chemistry class, the only class they shared together. Mikan was glad she had this class with Nonoko because the blue-haired girl was a chemist in the making.

"How can I be? It's not even a good thing. All of his fangirls absolutely despise me. And I thought this kind of thing only happens in stories." Mikan sighed. Nonoko laughed. "Oh dear, welcome to the real world, where not everyone is nice. Especially not the ones who easily fall for good looks."

Mikan had to agree to that. Her high school life wasn't that bad and she actually enjoyed it. She didn't have a lot of friends, just the circle of friends that she had now. She didn't mind though. She was contented being a wallflower even though it was kinda hard since Tsubasa was everybody's guy. But there were times that Mikan thought Tsubasa didn't want her soccer teammates talking to her. If she dared to admit it, she would say Tsubasa was keeping her all to himself, but that's just probably her. Her and her over imaginative mind.

She planned to graduate as a wallflower, too. Maybe with some kind of luck, even with honors. But what now? Everybody seemed to notice her just because she made the mistake of sitting next to the king.

:-:-:

Natsume saw his seatmate in Creative Arts walked by. He was half annoyed and half amused. He was glad that Creative Arts was only twice a week and he wouldn't have to see her today but he just did. The girl was suddenly everywhere he went.

Like yesterday when he was forced to accompany his sister to the mall, she was also there. She was holding a crying toddler. At first Natsume thought it was her sister since she bought her a candy so she would stop crying. But then the mother of the toddler came running towards them. She held the toddler, who Natsume realized was her child, and thanked the brunette over and over again. Was his seatmate Mother Theresa reincarnated?

He shrugged and continued to his next class. When he arrived, Mochu and Kitsuneme were talking and laughing and he vaguely wondered what they were talking about. And he remembered that these were Mochu and Kitsuneme, so it was probably just a silly thing. Turned out that he didn't have to ask since they were willing to tell him.

"Yo dude. Have you seen that Mitchell kid? Yeah, he was totally terrified," Mochu laughed.

Kitsuneme nodded his head, amusement dancing in his eyes, "Yeah, yeah. And when I told him I was going to take him up the mountain he suddenly ran. Like a mouse."

Natsume rolled his eyes. Were his friends always that noisy and boring before? Noisy, yes. Boring.. well he was not quite sure. He remembered enjoying their company before. So what changed? Perhaps he just found something that was more interesting. That must be it.

:-:-:

And she was indeed everywhere he went.

It was lunch. Natsume and his friends went to the cafeteria. Of course they expected the attention already. Mochu wanted to sit in the center table but Natsume and Ruka refused.

There were annoying cheerleaders there (which was probably why Mochu wanted to sit there in the first place) and Natsume didn't want them clawing at his back. So, they followed Ruka and chose a table at the far left. Why hadn't they sat here before? They could see the lake from here.

"Hey, hey, isn't that your seatmate?" Mochu asked him, forcing him to turn around.

True enough; the brunette was sitting on the table next to them with her friends. They were talking about something.

"Wow, never knew she was friends with Anna and Nonoko. I mean, come on, those girls are fine," Kitsuneme commented.

"Yeah, and come to think of it, your seatmate whatshername isn't so bad either."

"Is that Hotaru Imai?" Koko asked. "Now I know why Ruka chose this table. You slydog."

Ruka felt his cheeks go warm. Hey, what was so wrong in wanting to sit close to your crush? He cleared his throat and tried to divert the topic. "Mikan."

"Huh?"

"His seatmate's name is Mikan."

Mochu snickered. "What now? You're hitting on best friends? "

"Hell no! I've a few classes with her already. And I think she's great but that's that."

Ruka never told anyone but he had a crush on Mikan before. They were lab partners in first year and he found her really great and funny. He had been contemplating on asking her out when she had introduced him to her best friend, Hotaru. He didn't like Hotaru at first, she was sarcastic and cold, but because of a certain project last year, he was captivated.

Natsume noticed Koko grinning. He probably knew what Ruka was thinking. Sometimes he envied his Mind Reading Alice. But Ruka was easy to read anyway. He was fidgeting in his seat which meant there was something he was not telling. He was narrowing his eyes at him when he heard something.

He looked at the other table. The girls were laughing but his seatmate's laugh was the loudest. It was loud enough for him to hear. It was.. weird. Her laugh wasn't that entire beautiful, heck she snorted, but it was somewhat refreshing.

He could tell she was really amused. It wasn't the same as the usual high pitched fake giggles that normal girls make. No. Her laugh was real. Whatever she heard must be really funny. It was contagious, too.

She was facing the ceiling with her eyes closed.

And suddenly, he wanted to hear what she just heard.

"Isn't that right, Natsume?" Kistuneme asked him, snapping him out of his trance. He didn't know what his friend said so he settled with a "Hn."

In the corner of his eyes he saw the brunette stand up. She was walking in their direction. Natsume thought she was going to talk to him which wasn't surprising. A lot of girls were trying to talk to him during lunch.

So why wasn't she arriving? He glanced at her but she was past their table already. Where was going? And why did she have that stupid smile on her face again? What – Wait. Why the hell did Natsume want to know all about this anyway?

:-:-:

Finally. She saw the other soccer players enter the cafeteria so that must mean the meeting's over now. And she could see him. Fudge. She couldn't believe two weeks had already passed and she hadn't even had a walk with him.

Well, she guessed she should have expected it. The soccer competition is in two months. Plus, their school was currently the champion and they didn't want to give the title away.

She peeked inside the room, expecting to see him in a corner drinking mountain dew, his favourite drink. But he wasn't there. Disappointment filled her and she frowned. Come on now; was it really that difficult to see him?

She sighed. She guessed she would just go back to the cafeteria. There was no use staying at the room if he wasn't there. She was about to turn around when suddenly she couldn't move.

She grinned. So he was here after all. She nullified it and turned around. "You stepped on my shadow again."

Tsubasa grinned. "I was going to hug you but you turned around so quickly."

She looked at her shoes. She was blushing like mad and no way on earth was she going to let him see that. She knew Tsubasa was the sweetest guy and he would've really hugged if she hadn't nullified it. But she also knew better. She knew Tsubasa only saw her as his friend and he meant nothing beyond those words. But hey, at least they were friends. She had every right to be by his side.

Tsubasa frowned at her lack of response. "What? I can't hug you now? I mean, I know I've been too busy and that I missed our movie nights but -"

"What? No." Mikan's eyes widened. Was he actually thinking that she didn't like his hugs anymore? "I mean of course you can hug me. It's just that -"

"Then let me hug you," Tsubasa said, pulling her into his embrace.

She smiled. It's been too long. She guessed Tsubasa took a quick shower. His dark blue hair was wet and he smelled of shampoo. She loved his smell. It reminded her of summer. The joyful, bright and beaming sun.

Tsubasa was always touchy-feely and Mikan hated the idea of him having a girlfriend. Would he hug her like this, too? No, maybe more intimate. She was getting frustrated just thinking about it.

The guy rested his head on her shoulders. She loved every second of it. Then he whispered in her ear. His warm breath sent tingles on her spine and she shivered. She almost didn't hear what he said.

"I heard you sat beside Hyuuga."

He heard about that? What did he think about it? Oh shizzletops.

"Yeah."

"Hmm."

That was one of the good things about him. He doesn't say, "That's so stupid" or "Are you insane?" He doesn't pry. Instead, he tightened his hold on her, causing her blush yet again. It was bittersweet for Mikan. When he did things like this, it made her think he liked her back. But then he wasn't saing anything that would confirm it so it would just crush her hopes.

But she decided not think about it too much. She just wanted to enjoy the moment.

:-:-:

The rest of the day quickly went by. The Ice Queen was shaking her head. She knew nobody would join that club. Only Mikan. But then, almost all of the students thought Mikan was a nobody so that didn't count. She almost scoffed. Nobody? If they only knew..

Even her, - as Mikan's best friend- would not join. Who would want to collect information, capture photos, write news and be the school's errand student anyway? Journalism Club was just a big joke.

Oh well, Mikan couldn't see that. She loved serving the school and everybody. She was so responsible that she made herself believe that she loves writing crappy news stories. No one reads them anyway so why bother?

Hotaru was on her way home when the famous bunny boy suddenly appeared on her side. She knew it was a bad idea to leave her Baka Gun at home. It was times like this when that came handy.

"Hey. What's up?" He asked, quickly stepping by her side. What woudn't he just leave her alone already?

"As usual, the sun, clouds and everything on the sky." She had a point actually. They were above. _Up._

Ruka laughed and attempted to put his arm on her shoulders but she walked faster. "Never knew you had such humor."

"Oh. So you don't know anything about the girl that you're courting?" she raised her eyebrows and smirked. She left Ruka dumbfounded.

He was speechless for about a minute and he couldn't so anything but to watch her leave. He sighed. She was being difficult. But then, that was one of the many things he likes about her.

And there's absolutely no way is he going to give up.

...

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**© Copyright 2010 Acrianz (FanFiction ID: 1963681). Posted: 03/22/11. All rights reserved. Distribution of any kind is prohibited without the written consent of Acrianz**

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**A/N: **Yeah, I couldn't believe it either. I just updated. Am I still welcomed here?

-Acrianz


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